Parkway cable outlet top member



Dec. 28, 1937. Q s FLATH 2,103,773

f PARKWAY CABLE OUTLET TOP MEMBER Filed March 9, 1935 Patented Dec. 28, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

My invention relates to a parkway cable outlet used in connection with the current conducting cables employed by railroads along the right-ofway, with the outlet adapted to receive the end 5 of a cable coming from some distant point and to eiiect electrical connection or relation between the cable wire and the wires which lead to the track and referred to as the track wires.

The invention has for one of its objects the l provision of a conductor plate or member adapted to be arranged on top of a suitable hollow support or stand and formed so as to eiect a rm gripping relation therewith; the conductor plate or member in addition to having means whereby l the cable wire and track wires are secured in place and conducting relation provided is also adapted to receive a suitable top cap or hood for properly shielding the cable and track wire holding elements and conductor portion of the plate or member.

The invention generally stated comprises, in conjunction with a suitable supporting element or hollow stand, a suitable top plate adapted to fit the upper end of the hollow stand and provided with a contractible portion adapted to eiect gripping relation with the upper end of the hollow stand; said top plate being provided with cable wire and track wire clamping means whereby a conducting relation between these wires may 30 be established, while the top plate is also adapted to properly hold suitable insulation between the plate and the hollow stand.

e The aforementioned objects, as well as others, will be readily comprehended from the following detailed description of the exemplication of the invention disclosed in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the upper end of a hollow stand and my improved top plate 4,0 secured thereto, together with portions of a pair of track wires.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the upper end of the stand with my improved top plate or member.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

My invention relates to the top or conductor plate construction used in connection with a well 0 known type of support or stand of tubular construction as shown at I0.

The support is usually buried in the ground and the lower end supported in a suitable stand or support so formed that the parkway cable 55 leading from a battery `well or house may be led upwardly through the stand I0 as shown at II in Figure 2.

The top of the tubular stand I0 is provided with an outlet head or wire holding member I2 which is provided with an annular skirt or de- 5 pending liange I3 adapted to encircle the upper end of the tubular stand 1E, see Figure 2.

It is essential to rmly secure the top plate or member to the stand against accidental removal, while at the same time permit the removal of the l0 member l2 when occasion requires.

The skirt or depending flange defines a circle suiiiciently large to receive the upper end of the tubular stand I@ and to fit down over the upper end oi the stand and to also enclose a suitable insulating collar or element I4 between the skirt or flange and the tubular stand I0. The depth of the skirt or flange I3 is also sufficient to per- Init insertion of an insulating disc or element I5 between the plate portion I2 and the upper edge 20 of the stand I and still afford a sufficient pipe or stand encircling portion to enable a iirm clamping engagement to be eliected.

In order to permit a firm clamping engagement to be obtained and to compensate for slight variations in the size of the tubular stand or pipe section IS, the skirt portion i3 of the top member I2, at a slight distance beneath the upper or plate portion oi the member l2, is provided with the circumferentially disposed cutaway portion or slit I6, extending almost half way around the skirt portion I5 of the member I2, as shown in Figure 3.

The skirt portion I3 is also slit vertically at I7; the slit Il extending from the circumferential slit i5 down to the perimeter of the skirt; and the skirt on opposite sides of the vertical slit I1 and beneath the circumferential slit I6 is provided with the laterally disposed lobes I8, I8.

rThe lobes I8, I8 are provided with registering 40 holes to receive the bolt I9. The skirt portion I3, adjacent one of the lobes I8 is shown provided with a shoulder 20 which is so arranged relative to the bolt-hole in the lobe that one side of the bolt-head will be disposed adjacent to the shoulder 20 and thus rotation of the bolt I9 will be prevented. The opposite end of the bolt is provided with a nut 2| and nut locking washer at 22; the split skirt or flange being drawn together by screwing up of nut 2I. 50

It is apparent that a greater restriction or .drawing in of the split skirt can be accomplished by reason of the additional circumferentially disposed split or kerf I6 than would otherwise be possible and hence the top member adapted to Figure 2, extends throughout the bottom of the member I2 and initially holds the assembly bolt V23 in place before theV wire holding nuts and Washers have been applied thereto. This bolt 23 extends upwardly through a central opening in the member I2, with the head of the bolt disposed in the socket about the opening in the member. The upper face of the member I2 is shown with a grooved boss portion 24 and the ends Vof two track wires 25, 25 clamped in the grooves by a conductor element 25,' and on top of this element the end of the parkway cable II is clamped in place by the washer and nut.

Disposed over this assembly is a hood or cap 21 which is held in place by the nut 28; the cap 21 on one side is shown provided with a pair of openings 29 for passage ,of the track Wires 25 therethrough.

'I'he construction of the upper or wire holding portion of themember I2, and the arrangement of the assembly bolt 23 with the cap 2'I are similar to the same elements disposed in my previous l Vpresenting a structure adapted to adjust itself to greater variations in the diameter of the stand and which will effect a greater binding relation with the stand through the use of a single bolt and' nut. Y

I also preferY to form the single piece or cylindrical insulating. element I4 at its upper end with Yan inturned flange Illa adapted Vto overlap the upper end of the stand ID as shown in Figure 2.

This fiange portion will position Vand hold the .insulating element I4 in place during assembly of the outlet structure; the ange will hold the `element I4 in place while the top member I2 is telescoped over the end of the stand. In order to obviate undue buckling of the insulating element I 4, it isslit on one side as shown in Figure 3 and the slit preferably arranged coincident with the slit I'I in the skirt of the member I2;

It is evident that the insulating disc I5 instead of being placed ontopV of the flange I 4a o1' Velement I4 as shown in Figure 2 may be placed on the upper end of the stand I5 and the element I4 then put in place with its flange on top of the disc I5. 'Ihat is to say, these elements I4 and I5 may be arranged in either of the two ways mentioned without in any Way effecting their insulating properties.

As the upper end of the stand and the top plate are constantly exposed along a railroad track wherecontact with the exposed top plate may frequently occur, it is quite essential to provide means whereby a firm gripping relation between the top plate and stand maybe provided so that disruption of the electrical connections will be prevented, which at the same time provide a rm relation which may be easily released should occasion require.

The construction shown is believed to be the best embodiment ofthe invention whereby the aforementioned conditions can be accomplished,

although slight changes in thelupper face of the top plate may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is: Y In a parkway cable outlet involving a tubular stand, a top member composed of a top plate portion coextensive With the top of said tubular stand so as to cover the top of the stand and having a depending skirtportion integral with the entire perimeter of the top plate and disposedY about the upper end of the tubular stand, tne top plate being provided with a bolt receiving opening and with a cable-wire receiving hole, the depending skirt portion on one side and at a distance beneath the top plate portion being provided with a circumferentially disposed kerf extending substantially -half way about the skirt portion, a vertically disposed Yke'rf extending downwardly from said circumferentally disposed kerf, intermediate of the ends thereof, to the lower perimeter of the skirt, a pair of outwardly extending apertured lobes on opposite sides of the vertically disposed kerf, and means disposed through said lobes and adapted to force said lobes toward each other and thereby contract the skirt portion beneath theY circumferentially disposed kerf into clamping relationV Withthe tubular 

